Soaring membership costs and broken facilities at a council-owned gym have been criticised.

Customers at Freeman’s Quay Leisure Centre questioned Durham County Council’s decision to increase concessions memberships by up to £100 amid ongoing facility issues. 

“How can [the council] justify raising membership fees for concession members (in some cases over £100) when nearly half of the equipment is not in full working order?” asked Mr S Williamson at a full council meeting. 

He added: “For example, the pool floor has been unable to be used correctly since 2022 and the steam room has been unable to be used for the past six months. These are just two of several issues at Freemans Quay.”

A concession membership now costs £204 per year. The Durham City leisure centre has around three thousand members, meaning “inevitable wear and tear” is caused to facilities, the council said. 

James Rowlandson, cabinet member for Resources, Investment and Assets, said: “Officers across the council and facility staff do everything possible to prevent maintenance issues from arising - and when they do happen, to rectify them as quickly as possible. 

“The pool has been at its fixed depth since September 2022 as there has been an issue with the mechanics on the floating floor. This allowed the pool to remain open to the public and ensured swimming activities were not affected.

“The sauna has been subject to considerable investment in repairs over the last six months, including the installation of a new generator. However, there have been new issues identified which have delayed plans to reopen it to the public.”

Memberships across council-owned sites changed in November 2023, meaning customers who had previously benefited from discounted legacy pricing had their contracts updated. Previous swim-only memberships now include access to gym and fitness classes. 

The local authority added: “It was not feasible to maintain these legacy memberships as they were not reflective of the current cost or market value of our services. 

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“Leisure provision is a significant cost to the council, and it's important in these times of diminishing resources that we offer value for money to its residents through equitable and accessible pricing; at the same time as ensuring that we carefully manage the public purse. 

“We continue to offer a 35 per cent concessionary discount to support those of pensionable age, the unemployed or low-income households. For regular users, the concessionary member rate equates to less than £1 per visit.”

Previous plans to upgrade Freeman’s Quay, as part of the council’s Leisure Transformation programme, were revised earlier this year due to funding pressures.